Cuban heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez is still looking for someone who is willing to agree to face him in an IBF final eliminator. Sanchez, who has seen Efe Ajagba, Moses Itauma, Richard Torrez Jr and Daniel Dubois all turn down the chance to fight him, is now looking at facing once-beaten US heavyweight Jared Anderson, who is suitably ranked by the IBF; this despite the fact that Anderson has beaten only the little-known Marios Kollias since his August 2024 defeat to Martin Bakole.
Sky Sports have confirmed that Anderson, 18-1(15) will receive an official offer to face Sanchez, 25-1(18) next. The folks at Top Rank told Sky Sports that they would very much like to see their fighter Anderson take the Sanchez bout. But will “The Real Big Baby” do what Ajagba, Itauma, Torrez Jr and Dubois did, and that’s turn down the fight?
Will Anderson Risk It All Against Sanchez?
Sanchez is a good fighter, but he has been beaten, stopped, by Agit Kabayel, and it’s crazy to some fans that four young, ranked contenders have looked to take a pass on taking a fight with him, a fight that, should they have won it, would have earned the victor a world title shot.
Maybe Anderson, once seen as the next big thing at heavyweight, this before Bakole manhandled him to a fifth-round stoppage defeat, will take the fight and perhaps even win it. If so, Anderson, who looked pretty poor in labouring to a points win over Kollias in February, would be right back in a great position.
Let’s wait and see if Anderson does indeed say yes to the Sanchez offer, or if he will become the latest heavyweight contender to say no thanks to a fight with the Cuban.